A campaign was launched on Friday in Finland to encourage Finns to recycle cars that are to be disused in the environmentally-friendly manner prescribed by law.

 

Between 100,000 and 140,000 cars are disused every year in Finland, and only one fifth of them are processed in a manner required by existing law.

 

Officially launching the campaign, Finnish Minister of Transport and Communications Susanna Huovinen appealed to drivers to use the official recycling system to dispose of old cars. She also said that the focus of car taxation should be moved from the taxation of car acquisition to the taxation of the use of the car.

 

During the campaign, if the last owner of a car brings the vehicle to Finnish Car Recycling Ltd., the car will be removed from the vehicle registry free of charge. As an incentive, the owner will also be given a voucher worth 500 euros (US$625) for the purchase of a new car, and 200 euros (US$250) for the purchase of a used car.

 

(Xinhua News Agency September 16, 2006)